


Moments

by saurgristiel



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Immediate Altissia aftermath, Injury, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-05
Updated: 2018-01-05
Packaged: 2019-02-28 21:45:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13280478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saurgristiel/pseuds/saurgristiel
Summary: Ignis drifts after being wounded in Altissia.





	Moments

**Author's Note:**

> This was started in March 2017, just after I had finished the game and well before any Ep. Ignis stuff came out.

_Blinding White._

_Searing Pain._

_What was that noise? That constant noise..._

_What was pressing down on his face?_

_Why couldn't he move...?_

_So much hurt..._

_And he could taste blood..._

_Was someone calling his name?_

_"-to... legs... wrists..."_

_So difficult to hear over that constant noise... What_ was _that noise..._

_Who was stroking his thigh and cheek?_

~*~*~*~

"Iggy! Stop fighting me!" Somewhere in this disaster, Ignis had lost his gloves and was digging his left fingernails into Gladio's right forearm.

 _"Fuck."_ Gladio fumed as he slid his left hand to Ignis' cheek, fingers curling lightly behind his ear. He desperately wanted to know how Ignis had been injured so badly, but there was currently no way to find out.

Gladio and Prompto had found their unconscious prince and were trying to find their stalwart strategist when they heard his screams. They hit like a dagger to the heart of both of them. They weren't moans of pain or crying over the injured, both sounds were common on their search. They were screams of body-wracking pain. An injury currently happening.

Prompto hurried ahead to Ignis' side while Gladio found a place to set the prince. He had to physically move Prompto out of the way to assess Ignis' injuries. The poor boy had frozen.

Gladio dug in Ignis' coat for a couple of handkerchiefs and pressed them over the fallen man's eyes. He grimaced as Ignis' nails dug into his forearm, while he tried to catch the other hand trying to fight him off. He didn't have enough hands for this...

"Prompto!" Gladio boomed as he straddled Ignis' hips, trying to reduce his squirming. "Get on his legs and grab his wrists!"

"Uh, right!" The small blonde snapped out of it and managed to straddle Ignis' powerful legs and laced his fingers with Ignis'. He couldn't reach around Gladio to get Ignis' other hand, however. But it was good enough.

"Iggy! Come on, calm down!" He stroked Ignis' cheek and ear in a way that usually calmed him. Ignis' roughening screams were slowly turning towards crying. "Come on, Iggy..." _Come back to me..._

It went on for far too long, but Ignis' fighting was slowing down and he was getting quieter.

"There we go, come on." As Ignis started to come down from the massive adrenaline rush, Prompto rested his head against Gladio's back, feeling Ignis start to shiver beneath them.

"I've got you." Ignis' death grip on Gladio's forearm lessened and his shaking hand slid towards Gladio's. "Iggy...?"

"G-Gladio…?" It was the first time Prompto had heard Ignis hesitate while speaking. His voice sounded like sandpaper.

"Yep. Prompto too." Prompto gently squeezed Iggy's shaking but relaxed hand. "See if you can get the first aid kit out, kid."

"Right…" Prompto gave Ignis' hand a final squeeze and got up to give the two of them some space. Ignis' now empty hand came to rest on Gladio's thigh.

"Noct!" Ignis gasped, like he had just remembered.

Gladio hesitated and looked over to Prompto and the prince. "Is alive."

"Glad-"

" _He's alive._ " Ignis knew from his tone that that was all he was getting at the moment.

Ignis swallowed, trying to process what that was supposed to mean. "Lady Lunafreya?"

Another hesitation. "Isn't."

Ignis sighed to the best of his ability. Gladio was still stroking him by his ear and, though he may not admit it verbally, was doing an admirable job of soothing him.

They both jumped a little when Prompto made a triumphant noise and carried their large first-aid kit over. 

"It's like molasses..." He grumbled as he set the box down. He opened it towards Gladio, but peeked inside. Only regular first aid, no potions or elixirs.

"Did we run out?"

"We might have..." Ignis sighed. They had bought as many curatives as they could, but there were precious few hunting opportunities Altissia and they were chronically low on curatives. Despite his best efforts. With the aftermath of this Leviathan incident, the whole city was likely in dire need of them as well.

The pain had died down and was mostly just numb now. Ignis tried to calm down as Gladio and Prompto went through the first aid kit. _If they had no curatives-_

"Iggy, I'm going to take my hand off your face, okay?"

He would have nodded, but then they all would have wondered if he had suffered some sort of brain trauma as well. "Yes."

He tried to remain stoic as Gladio removed the handkerchiefs but they stuck and pulled at whatever injuries he had. He didn't get louder than a grunt and despite the small flares of pain on his face, he couldn't miss Prompto's noises and shuffling. Even Gladio was not silent.

"Okay." Gladio shifted to assess Ignis' injuries. The large weight was still on top of him and that gave him some sense of comfort.

"Am I going to live?" He'd had enough of their quiet and sought to ease their tension.

"Uh… Yeah." There was obviously something Gladio was omitting and Ignis tried to look at him. Only one eye decided to open and it was just blinding white. He snapped his eye shut again and stroked Gladio's thighs.

"These paving stores are most uncomfortable."

"Right, sorry." Gladio got off of him and moved to his side. "Prompto's gonna to help you sit up and we're gonna get you bandaged and then… Yeah..." Gladio's calm-under-pressure was starting to crack. 

Sitting up and getting bandaged was a small adventure. Gladio had him sipping from a bottle of water as he recovered from that ordeal. It bothered the cut on his lip, but he needed the water. Prompto was anxiously sitting beside him while Gladio had a quick look around.

"I saw that stunt you pulled with Noct..."

"Ah! Uh-"

"Rather inventive."

"Um, thanks?"

Ignis smiled as far as his lip would let him and Prompto let out a quiet, nervous laugh when he realized Ignis wasn't going to lecture him about it. Not yet anyway.

Gladio's heavy footsteps announced his presence. "They're gathering the injured in the plaza, where the speech was, for triage and rides back. That's where we're gonna head."

Gladio and Prompto helped Ignis stand and get his arm settled around Prompto's shoulders. Gladio grunted as he picked Noctis up and they slowly made their way to the plaza.

~*~*~*~

Ignis was glad they had found an open bench against a wall. It allowed him to rest his head against the wall as they waited and rested. It was not easy to get around without seeing things. Even at night there was some source of light. With his eyes closed and underneath the bandages, there was just... Nothing.

Gladio was sitting the ground, playing pillow to Noctis, when one of the Minister's attendants came up.

"Oh! There you are!" Three heads turned her direction. "We've been looking for you. Please, come with me." She waited until they were all standing before leading them away at a steady clip. Gladio asked her a few times to slow down, but she didn't stick with a slow enough pace. They were led to a private boat to be taken back to the Leville.

~*~*~*~

Being royalty had its perks, and even though the Covenant ceremony had put so much at risk, being gifted use of the Leville's Royal Suite was definitely appreciated. Minister Claustra must have remained impressed with Noctis and his retinue to allow them to remain in the city, let alone in the finest suite.

Ignis was using Prompto _and_ the wall as support by the time they arrived at the suite. Gladio laid Noctis down on one side of the large bed and Prompto helped Ignis sink into the other side. Once Ignis was horizontal, he was out from exhaustion. Prompto and Gladio switched bed sides and made sure their respective age-mates were comfortable. Gladio found blankets for all of them and now they only had to wait for the doctor to come by.

~*~*~*~

The doctor arrived a few hours later. She examined Noctis and concluded there were no life-threatening injuries and he should wake on his own. Ignis was relieved, but he always worried for his charge and nothing would truly change that.

The doctor came to Ignis' side of the bed and suggested they go into the other bedroom to take care of his injuries. Gladio helped Ignis to the other bed, followed by the doctor and her cart of supplies, while Prompto hung back in the doorway. Though he always felt like an outsider, he wanted to show support for Ignis.

That support only lasted until the bandages came off and Prompto left for the hallway in a flurry of light steps and quick breathing. Gladio watched him leave, hoping he wouldn't go too far.

"Alright, let's see..." The doctor examined his wounds, washed them, and tried to evaluate the extent of his impairment. By the time she spritzed on some pain-killing antiseptic, Ignis was shaking again and trying to strangle one of Gladio's hands. They got him properly bandaged and the doctor checked the rest of him for any serious injuries. He had a few bruises starting to form, but she wasn't worried about those. She left a few painkillers, with the prescription of rest, food, and hydration, and she would be back to check on them the next day. Gladio thanked her and escorted her out, seeing Prompto disappear down the stairs at the end of the hall.

Gladio returned to Ignis, whose body language was hiding absolutely nothing. He still sat on the edge of the bed in his underwear, elbows resting on his knees, shoulders slumped. He hadn't bothered trying to redress, knowing he and his clothes needed washing.

"Iggy?" Gladio ventured. Ignis' head came up and turned in Gladio's direction. "You ready to get cleaned up?"

Ignis let out a shaky sigh. "I suppose." Gladio helped him up and sat him down on the edge of the bathtub. The doctor had cleaned his face, but stopped at his chin. Gladio carefully washed the blood, grime, and sweat off, being exceedingly gentle around the forming bruises. The absolute last thing he wanted to do was cause Ignis more pain.

Once Ignis was dry and completed his bedtime ritual, they slipped him into a t-shirt and his pajama pants. Just as he was settled into bed, Prompto returned with food and plenty of drinks. The food was nothing elaborate or special, just curry buns, but it filled them all quite well. Ignis laid back into the pillows, content to listen to their discussion, until he drifted off.

Prompto noticed Gladio watching Ignis. "Hey..."

"Hmm?"

"Are you and Specs, uh, y'know..."

"'Y'know' what, Blondie?"

Prompto squirmed. "A... Thing..."

"We've known each other for over a decade, kid."

"I just. Sometimes in my photos... It looks like you two have, or had, something going on."

"You're lucky he's not awake." Gladio leaned in too close to Prompto. "Tell me what you see when you look at him."

Prompto described what he could see and how he concluded that Ignis was asleep. Gladio smiled.

"That's great and all, but... Do you see how his lips are parted juuust a little, and his jaw is slightly slack?"

_"Just a little... You could barely fit a toothpick in that part."_

"That's how I know he's asleep. He's excellent at faking it. So you tell me if we had 'A Thing.'"

Prompto was very uncomfortable. "It's not current though?"

"No, it's not."

"Why?"

"That is the million gil question." Gladio got up to dispose of their trash. "Maybe I'll get you something if you figure it out. Just don't go asking around. As far as I know, Noct doesn't know we even had a thing, so good luck with that."

Prompto looked at Ignis again while Gladio secured the suite. That was a strange confirmation of his theory. He wondered what Gladio would give him if he figured it out. _Probably a knuckle sandwich._

"You sleepin' in here?"

"Oh! No! Sorry!" Prompto scampered to the other bedroom and sat down next to Noctis. He curled up next to the prince and prayed to whoever would listen that they would all be okay.

~*~*~*~

Ignis' consciousness stirred awake and he stretched, finding all sorts of sore spots. He huffed in annoyance at not being able to open his eyes. That was when he noticed a weight in his hand and flinched his hand back to his control.

"Sorry! Sorry!"

"Prompto?" He didn't think they were _that_ close yet.

"Yeah... Sorry. You were making noises in your sleep and you calmed down when I held your hand."

"Oh..." Ignis felt the bedsheets near his arm move.

"I'm sorry if that was inappropriate."

"No, it was just... startling... to wake up to. After recent events." Ignis turned his palm up and willed himself not to flinch when Prompto slipped his hand there. It was comforting to both of them at the moment.

Someone was rather conspicuously missing. "Where is Gladio?"

"He's taking care of some business. Much less dangerous business than the last time he said that... He said he'd be back around lunchtime, with lunch." Prompto checked his phone. "Which is not that far away."

"What time is it?"

"Almost eleven."

"Eleven?!" He let go of Prompto's hand to push himself up into the pillows. "How long did I sleep?"

"Umm, since maybe seven last night?"

 _16 hours... that must be a new record for me._ He was about to run a hand down his face, but stopped himself and rubbed his jaw instead.

"It's not really surprising, considering... I'd sure like to sleep that long."

"It does create certain problems, however..." Ignis moved to sit up more.

"Oh! Shit!" Prompto giggled at himself once what he'd said sunk in. He got off the bed and hurried to Ignis' side.

"Quite." On the way there, Ignis had convinced Prompto that he and Gladio had gone over the bathroom the night before, so his presence inside was unnecessary.

Once Ignis reopened the door, Prompto was ready to go. Ignis didn't want to burst his bubble, but requested less assistance, just as a personal test to his own skills. Prompto only had a hand on his elbow, in case something went really wrong.

"Do you know where your phone is?" Prompto asked as they made their way to the table and chairs in the suite. He guided Ignis to sit down and then pulled a chair closer.

"It's not in the Armiger?"

"It's easier to pull things out today, but only our own things, not someone else's. Gladio and I both tried for Noct's phone. We could feel it was there, but couldn't pull it out. It feels like water instead of molasses today."

"I'm not sure how useful my phone would be at the moment..."

"Well, there's stuff on there you'd want to keep, right? And useful things, like contact info."

"We all backed them up the other night, when they were charging. Right?"

"Iggy. Humor me. Please?"

Ignis gave a good-natured sigh and concentrated on his connection to the Armiger and then to his phone. It did feel a little sluggish and he supposed if it had actually been worse the day before, they were lucky to have gotten the first aid kit out of there.

He waved his hand out to the side to grasp his phone. It materialized in his hand, along with some water, his daggers and lance, and a starfish, which all clattered to the floor. Prompto gasped and moved to stand while Ignis kept his arm out to his side.

"I didn't think 'It feels like water today' was quite so literal."

Prompto snorted as he padded away to get some towels to sop up the water. He took Ignis' phone and placed it on a small towel on the table and carefully dried Ignis' hand and weapons before trying to dry the carpet. He chucked the starfish out the window and into the canal (after assurances from Ignis that it wouldn't die because of that) before returning to his chair.

"I don't suppose the warranty or insurance cover Leviathan damage."

"I don't think so." Prompto smiled along with Ignis. "Can I try to fix it?"

"If you wish." Ignis just listened to Prompto start to work on his phone, the younger man deciding to let it dry out before trying anything too drastic. Gladio soon returned with lunch and they discussed Gladio's errands that morning.

Gladio had more errands to run in the afternoon and guided Ignis to Noctis' side before he left. He hoped to be back before the doctor came by, but couldn't say for sure when he'd be back.

~*~*~*~

Ignis sat beside the bed, hands folded in his lap, hesitant to reach out for his prince. King. He still was not ready to use those words and despite Gladio's bluster, Ignis suspected he was not ready to use them yet either, but for different reasons. Noctis was definitely not ready to hear them.

Ignis listened to Noctis' quiet breathing and Prompto's tidying up the suite. He slowly extended his hand until it bumped into the mattress, adjusting its height and continuing on until he felt Noctis' wrist. He brought his other hand up and settled it in Noctis', their thumbs hooked together, enclosing the smaller hand in both of his. Noctis made a snuffling sound but nothing else.

The bed jiggled as Prompto settled in on the other side of Noctis. "It doesn't feel right, does it?" Prompto wondered aloud. Ignis' head lifted and they were both pretty sure he was trying to raise an eyebrow beneath the bandages. "Something feels weird... Inside."

Ignis thought for a few moments and returned to a position where he hoped he would be looking at Noctis. "It feels a lot like..." He took a steadying breath. "A lot like when we almost lost him..."

"That scar he's got, and his bad knee?"

"Yes." Ignis swallowed hard. "There has always been this little buzzing feeling inside us, since Noct was born, that was suddenly diminished when that incident happened. I didn't understand it at the time, but His Majesty explained it a few weeks later. Even though Gladio and I both knew what our _duty_ would be to the royal family, and although Noct is younger than us both, we've always been connected to his magic. And because of the condition he was in then, as now, we can feel it. And it feels-"

"Awful." Prompto finished. "I know I haven't been connected as long as the two of you have been, but…"

Ignis hummed at Prompto's understanding, wishing to end the conversation. Thankfully, Prompto took the hint and they sat in comfortable silence until there was a squeak of a wheel followed by a knock on the suite's door.

"Got it!" Prompto launched himself off the bed to answer the door, a small smile coming to Ignis' lips at Prompto's actions.

"Mr. Scientia, how are you today?" The doctor asked as she wheeled her cart of supplies in.

"Alright." They all knew he was not 'fine' or 'okay', none of them were, really, so there was no need to push further. The doctor took a quick look at Noctis before suggesting they move to the other room.

Once Ignis was settled on the edge of the bed, he could tell Prompto was hovering, not sure if he should stay or leave. The doctor was arranging things on her cart, so Ignis took the moment they had. "Prompto."

"Yes?" He said it a little quickly.

"I wouldn't mind if you stayed." Ignis turned his palm up and rested it on his thigh.

"O-Okay." Prompto eased onto the bed and timidly took Ignis' offered hand.

The doctor carefully removed the bandages and slipped a plastic headband on him to hold his hair back. Prompto barely got a glimpse of his injuries and switched the hand he was using to hold Ignis' and flopped down behind him.

"Prompto?"

"I'm sorry, Specs..." came the muffled reply.

Ignis gave a small smile, squeezed Prompto's hand, and reached behind him to pat Prompto's head.

"Mr. Argentum, you're not the only one to react this way to injuries. There are some who pass out at much more minor injuries." The doctor continued as she cleaned and inspected Ignis' wounds. She applied more of that magical spray she used the day before, but actually explained it this time. 

"The cuts on your lip, nose, and right eyebrow are looking very good. Your left eye still needs some time, but has improved since yesterday. This spray is essentially a watered down potion. It speeds healing, but we don't want to overtax your system. It's dealing with quite a bit right now."

Ignis wished he could just have a whole potion and get all this healing over with. "I see..." He felt Prompto's hand tense.

"Could you try to open your eyes again, please?" His right eye opened much better than it had the day before. It wasn't as bright in the room, with it being late afternoon rather than midday, but all Ignis could see was brightness. He kept that eye open for as long as he could, and the doctor seemed to have gotten a decent look at it.

"And the other?" Ignis tried, very hard, to open his left eye but flinched in pain at more than at tiny flutter of his eyelashes. "Alright, you don't have to push yourself. Thank you for trying." She warned him before she applied more spray to just that eye.

Ignis' hold on Prompto's hand was tight, but be wasn't shaking this time. _"Thank goodness,"_ he thought as he released his hand to help hold bandages.

"Prompto?"

"Hmmnn?"

"Have you been looked at by a doctor? It felt like you were limping yesterday."

"It feels better today." Ignis never really paid attention to what Prompto's gait sounded like, but to him, it sounded off.

"Still, while the doctor's here, she may as well take a look." He reached back and patted Prompto's head again.

"Fine..." Ignis was glad they were pretty much finished, the doctor was easing the headband out of the bandages when the bed started shaking. The thud of Prompto's boots signaled what he had been doing. A few more wiggles and his socks were off as well. "Happy?"

Had he been able to, he would have shared look with the doctor. "Children."

He heard an exhale that he knew was a concealed laugh and Prompto huffed, making his way to the end of the bed.

Prompto's toes curled when the doctor started examining his feet, poking and rubbing. Only Noctis knew his feet were ticklish.

"Hmm, there does seem to be some inflammation, but no serious injury. Give it some rest, maybe some ice, and it should come around."

"See, Specs, nothing to worry about." He lightly smacked Ignis' elbow and immediately regretted it, seeing Ignis' whole arm tense from the unexpected contact. "Sorry."

"It's quite alright…"

"I'll be back tomorrow, Mr. Scientia."

"Thank you." Prompto followed her out. When he returned, Ignis requested some alone time. They took care of a few things and once Ignis was settled in bed, Prompto joined Noctis, leaving Ignis to his thoughts.

~*~*~*~

Gladio slipped into the suite, as quietly as a man his size could, around dinner time.

"Dinner?"

Gladio's shoulders tensed just a little at Prompto's question. "Uh... Heh..."

"I could go find something?" Prompto got off the bed and approached him.

"That'd be great." Prompto waved him off as he reached for his wallet. "Maybe try to find something so we don't always have to go out to find food?"

"I'll try. Are you okay?" Prompto looked up at Gladio's face.

"Yeah. I just had to blow off some steam. Ran into Iggy's doc..."

"Oh."

"She'll be back in the morning, hopefully with one of her colleagues to get a better look at his eyes" Gladio shifted uncomfortably.

Prompto picked upon his unease. "Iggy wanted some time alone, but I think he's asleep now. I'll just go... find food. I'll be back." And he was out the door down the hall before Gladio could say anything further.

He ran his hands through his hair and down his neck, taking a look at Noctis before he headed into the other room.

Prompto was right, Ignis was asleep. It didn't look like that position should be comfortable, but there he was, sleeping like that. Gladio grabbed a book from his bag before getting comfortable next to the injured man.

~*~*~*~*~

Gladio was about a dozen pages into his book when Ignis started to move and make noises in his sleep. His hand slowly made its way up to his stomach and he let out a quiet sigh. Gladio set his book down in his lap and watched. Ignis' fingers started to move and he whimpered. Gladio carefully took his hand, but Ignis pulled both hands to his chest and tried to turn away.

"Hey, it's okay," he tried to soothe, but Ignis just whimpered "no."

Ignis' other hand looked like it was trying to grab something and he got more agitated. He started to properly cry out and try to fight. Gladio manhandled him into a sitting position and got behind him, using his long arms to restrain him. He crossed Ignis' wrists and stuck his thumbs into his grasping hands.

"Iggy, wake up."

Ignis sobbed and continued to fight, still caught in the last tendrils of sleep.

After a few minutes trying to calm him, Ignis finally went boneless in Gladio's grip. It seemed he had woken up, but was still affected by the dream. He laid against Gladio crying, keening, and moaning, and letting everything that had happened since they left Insomnia out.

When Ignis wasn't quite so worked up, Gladio tried to get him to think about something else.

"Hey, hey. Remember when you were 12 and we sparred for the first time? I tried to go easy on you but they put you in self-defense classes afterwards. When you were 14, they had us spar again. You did better, but still not great. I was interested though, and we started hanging out. At 16, you were finally doing better, and we became more than just friends. At 17, I totally wiped the floor with you. We were both so stubborn that we didn't talk to each other for two months. We only started talking again because Noct ordered us to. At 18, I still beat you but not by much.

"Do you remember all that?"

Ignis pulled in a shaky breath. "Y-yes…" Ignis leaned his head back against Gladio's shoulder, trying to take deep breaths. When he had calmed down a bit more, he asked, "Why are you holding me like this…?"

Gladio let go of his hands and moved them around his waist. "It looked like you were trying to call your weapons. I didn't want you to get hurt."

Ignis' hands followed Gladio's down. "Oh…"

Ignis sniffed and then curled in on himself, hand going to the bandages over his left eye, gasping in pain. His other hand wiped at his nose and the part of his right cheek not covered by bandages. Once there were no dry spots on his hand anymore, he shook it with frustration. He almost started crying again.

"Do you want a pain pill?" Gladio's hands were comforting on his shoulders.

Ignis whined a little. He hated not being fully aware, but sometimes the pain was just too much.

"Let me get 'em for ya." Gladio carefully got out of bed and set something in Ignis' lap. "There's the tissues.”

Ignis found the box and started to clean himself up, wiping his nose since it seemed any pressure in his sinuses brought immense pain. Once Ignis was finished, Gladio sat back down beside him, placing the pain pill and a glass of water into Ignis' hands. Ignis was quick to ingest both and Gladio set the emptied glass on his bedside table. Snaking his hand into Ignis', they sat there for a few moments, both wishing that pills worked faster. Gladio's thumb stroking the back of his hand was more soothing than he had expected.

"Where is Prompto?" He couldn't help asking. He's sure his breakdown wasn't exactly quiet, so why hadn't he come in to see what was going on?

"Out getting food." Gladio answered.

"Noct hasn't woken then…?"

"No."

Ignis sighed, trying to fight off the anxiety curling in his chest. He was unsure at the moment of how many days it had been, but surely this was not a good sign. His hand squeezed Gladio's and the return squeeze was even harder.

"Gladio?" Ignis whispered.

"He'll wake up, Iggy."

"That… wasn't what I was going to ask…" Ignis bit his lip, which was a terrible idea, extremely nervous about the question he wanted to ask.

"Hey…" Gladio stroked his jaw and he somehow managed not to flinch. Ignis found Gladio's chest with his free hand, trying to swallow down the fear. "What is it?"

"Would you… " _It was so terribly vain to ask, why was he asking this?_ "Would you… kiss me?" _Because he was lonely and scared and needed_ something _familiar in this frightening new reality._

Gladio stopped his ministrations and was quiet. "I-I'm sorry, forget that I asked."

"No." Ignis lifted his face towards Gladio's. "I just… Are you sure? It's a little sudden."

"Yes, I know. I've been thinking about it before now, off and on, since that first night at Galdin Quay. Before… Well, before." _"Before everything we've ever known collapsed" didn't need to be said._

"Really?" Gladio started stroking Ignis' jaw again. "You want to be together again?"

"I want to try, at least. But don't go into this thinking that you have to, out of pity or some other misplaced emotion. If you don't want to-" He was cut off by lips gently brushing against his own. They both brought their hands up, Ignis' tightening at Gladio's collar and Gladio's cupping Ignis' less bandaged cheek.

He started to kiss back, almost too late. Gladio pulled back, still admiring the jaw in his hands. "Oh…" He exhaled. The kiss was too short, but it was everything he needed at the moment. If he could have fluttered his eyelids, he would have.

"Yeah." Ignis released Gladio's collar and started to trace the edge of his leather shirt and tank-top. 

"I have something… perhaps selfish to ask…" He ran his finger along the edge of Gladio's tank-top while he gathered the courage to ask. Though this would likely become something regular between them. 

Gladio smirked. “Asking me to kiss you wasn't selfish?” He stroked Ignis’s jaw with his thumbs while Ignis turned a lovely shade of pink. His smirk turned into a loving smile. “Continue.”

"Would you, ah, would you read to me?" A darker flush started to creep up his neck as he waited for Gladio's answer. He seemed to hesitate and Ignis almost regretted asking when he finally answered.

"The armiger is still sluggish, but I found a book I hadn't read yet. Apparently the author lives here, it's just that…" Gladio paused, for a while. "It's cheesy romance."

A soft smile graced Ignis' lips. "That's alright." He had never gotten into Gladio's favorite genre of fiction (or any fiction, really, too busy with his duties around the Citadel), but now was as good a time as any.

Ignis felt Gladio huff. "Okay, get comfy while I get a few things." He gave Ignis' jaw one last stroke before getting up to retrieve his book from the floor and some water. Ignis made the best nest he could while the pain meds were starting to kick in. After Gladio was settled, Ignis leaned against his shoulder and brushed his knuckles against a leather-clad thigh.

_"Countess Andromeda knew, in the fluttering armoire of her maiden's heart, that she would never marry. For her heart did not belong to the nobles who paraded before her in lavish balls and breakfast nooks, but out in the great, enormous wild lands beyond her manor. It belonged in a soul she hadn't met yet, a soul preferably wrapped in a shapely body with glistening pecs and lush, flowing hair._

_"Oh," she cried, flinging herself upon her bed, chest heaving bustily. "If only I could grasp the bulging biceps of true love!"_

**Author's Note:**

> A million thanks to [ohmyfae](http://archiveofourown.org/users/ohmyfae/pseuds/ohmyfae) for beta-ing and the last 2 paragraphs.


End file.
